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Tigers bullpen all but set for opening day

by Brandon Wise | CBSSports.com

Tigers manager Brad Ausmus is feeling confident about his pitching staff headed into the start of the season. So much so, that he's expecting six of the seven spots to already be taken by Joe Nathan, Joakim Soria, Bruce Rondon, Al Alburquerque and Joba Chamberlain, reports MLive.com.

"Those six, it'd be surprising if they weren't on the team," Ausmus said Friday morning. "Something strange would have to happen just based on their performances from the past."

This leaves Alex Wilson, Josh Zeid and Buck Farmer all battling for the final slot in the bullpen.

"You're always concerned about injuries," Ausmus said. "I think that's where the depth comes into play, where, if something unexpected comes up, we have a lot of arms we feel like can produce at the major league level. ... If something happens at any time, we feel that we have a quality arm that we can slide right in."

The Red Sox traded outfielder Yoenis Cespedes to the Tigers on Thursday in exchange for pitcher Rick Porcello. The Tigers also acquired reliever Alex Wilson and minor-league pitcher Gabe Speier.

Cespedes is in the final year of a four-year, $36 million contract, while Porcello is in his final year of arbitration.

The 29-year-old Cespedes has a .263 average, .464 slugging percentage and .780 OPS in 416 games over three MLB seasons. Porcello, who won a career-high 15 games and had a career-low 3.43 ERA in 2014, is 76-63 with a 4.30 ERA in six MLB seasons.

Wilson has a 2-1 record, 3.38 ERA and 1.30 WHIP in 44 relief outings for Boston. He had a 1.91 ERA and 0.88 WHIP in 18 outings in 2014.

The 19-year-old Speier is 3-0 with a 1.64 ERA and 0.88 WHIP in 12 career appearances (eight starts) in the minors. He was a 19th-round pick in 2013.

The Red Sox optioned pitcher Anthony Ranaudo to Triple-A Pawtucket following his win over the Reds Wednesday, the team announced. Reliever Alex Wilson was recalled from Pawtucket to take his place on the roster.